8,173 research outputs found
Green jobs from a small scale perspective : case studies from Malta
Sustainable energy policy and its potential to create
green jobs in Malta, as seen from the point of
view of Maltese civil society, provides the basis for
a critical analysis of the development of environmental
policies in Malta. The discussion is based
on data emanating from a qualitative type of survey
conducted among the key persons involved in the
main organisations representing the Maltese civil
society. What emerged from this data is that there
is a high level of awareness among members of
Maltese civil society about the need to create more
green jobs and the formulation of an effective
policy of sustainable development. Respondents
stressed the challenges inherent in a small
island sovereign state suffering from peripherality
and insularity. However while acknowledging
these constraints, respondents expressed a high
degree of optimism about the implementation of
an effective green policy. They maintain that part
of the solution lies in devising innovative practices
by means of which Maltese policy makers would
exploit Malta’s geographical position and harness
all possible material and human resources.
However to achieve such a goal the process has be
consultative and participative.European Parliamentpeer-reviewe
The Effects of Fatigue on Balance in Individuals with Parkinson\u27s Disease: Influence of Medication and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genotype
Background and Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the effects of fatigue on balance in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Because falls in this population can have deleterious consequences, it is important to understand the influence of fatigue and PD medications on balance. Additionally, since brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to be related to motor performance, we explored its role in balance fatigue. Participants: 27 individuals (age= 65.4±8.1; males= 14, females= 13) with neurologist-diagnosed PD. Of the 27, 13 were genotyped for BDNF as Val/Val, 11 as Val/Met, 2 as Met/Met, and one refused genotyping. Methods: Participants were tested twice, first on medication and second off medication, one week apart. On both days, participants completed the following tests before and after a fatiguing condition: mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (mini-BESTest), computerized dynamic posturography (sensory orientation and motor control), functional reach, and gait spatial-temporal parameters at preferred gait speed across an instrumented walking mat. To address the primary aim of the study, a 2 (condition: pre and post) X 2 (medication: on and off) factorial ANOVA was performed for each outcome variable in each of the following domains: 1. anticipatory postural response; 2. adaptive postural responses; 3. Dynamic balance; 4. sensory orientation; and, 5. gait characteristics. For the exploratory aim, independent t-tests were conducted to compare both pre- and post-fatigue states, and on and of medication states for all of the aforementioned balance domains. Results: There were no statistically significant interactions between time (pre and post) and medication (on and off) for anticipatory postural responses, adaptive postural responses, dynamic balance, sensory orientation, or gait characteristics (ps≥.187). Participants with BDNF Met alleles were not significantly different from Val/Val participants in balance or gait (ps≥.111) and response to a fatiguing condition (ps≥.070). Discussion: The results of this study suggest that fatigue does not have a detrimental effect on balance and gait in individuals with PD. Likewise, our results were also in line with other studies that suggest that PD medications are not effective for decreasing risk of falls due to postural instability. Lastly, these results also indicate that individuals with a BDNF Met allele are not at an increased fall risk after a fatiguing condition compared to those with the Val/Val genotype
Inhibition of Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase by Aminoimidazole Carboxamide Ribotide Prevents Growth of Salmonella enterica purH Mutants on Glycerol
The enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP) is key regulatory point in gluconeogenesis. Mutants of Salmonella enterica lacking purH accumulate 5-amino-4-imidazole carboxamide ribotide (AICAR) and are unable to utilize glycerol as sole carbon and energy sources. The work described here demonstrates this lack of growth is due to inhibition of FBP by AICAR. Mutant alleles of fbp that restore growth on glycerol encode proteins resistant to inhibition by AICAR and the allosteric regulator AMP. This is the first report of biochemical characterization of substitutions causing AMP resistance in a bacterial FBP. Inhibition of FBP activity by AICAR occurs at physiologically relevant concentrations and may represent a form of regulation of gluconeogenic flux in Salmonella enterica
Octopi
The composition of the poem below was governed by one major and a couple minor lexical constraints. Can you discover the rules behind it
Screening of Irish Fruit and Vegetable Germplasm for Novel Anti-tumour and Pesticidal Compounds
Conference paperPhytochemicals are a rich source of novel therapeutic and insecticidal agents (McLaughlin and Chang, 1999). Considerable research effort has been directed at
screening exotic and medicinal plants in the search for novel products. However, plants which have traditional food uses have been little explored. In addition the
range, type and level of individual bioactive compounds can vary significantly between different species, different cultivars of the same species and different
tissue types of the plant (Reilly, in press) Therefore, the
objective of this study was to screen a range of fruits and vegetables which can be grown in Ireland for novel bioactive compounds for use in food production and as bio-pesticides.The author wishes to acknowledge the financial support from the Dublin Institute of Technology through an ABBEST fellowshi
Asymptotic Conditional Distribution of Exceedance Counts: Fragility Index with Different Margins
Let be a random vector, whose components are not
necessarily independent nor are they required to have identical distribution
functions . Denote by the number of exceedances among
above a high threshold . The fragility index, defined by
if this limit exists, measures the
asymptotic stability of the stochastic system as the threshold
increases. The system is called stable if and fragile otherwise. In this
paper we show that the asymptotic conditional distribution of exceedance counts
(ACDEC) , , exists, if the
copula of is in the domain of attraction of a multivariate extreme
value distribution, and if
exists for
and some . This enables the computation of
the FI corresponding to and of the extended FI as well as of the
asymptotic distribution of the exceedance cluster length also in that case,
where the components of are not identically distributed
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